This was spoken on June 6 by New York Times’ reporter Maggie Haberman, appearing on CNN’s Inside Politics. It is a subtle mashup of “throw down the gauntlet” (to issue a challenge) and “lay down the law” (to give a directive or order sternly). I suppose one could lay down the gauntlet but throwing it seems much more appropriate. Thisexpressionalludes to themedievalpractice of a knightthrowingdownhisgauntlet, or metalglove, as a challenge to combat.Itsfigurative usedatesfromthesecondhalf of the1700s. A big thanks once again to Frank King for hearing this one and throwing it my way. @MaggieNYT